Careers in English

What can you do with a major in English? Plenty! 

Did you know that:

Liberal Arts background in writing and in literature is invaluable preparation for futures in five outstanding professional areas:

• Business 
• Law 
• Medicine 
• Federal Services 
• Education 

Did you know that:

The English major is excellent preparation for success in business!
Employers are voicing increasing dissatisfaction with employees who specialized before they achieved a well-rounded education. Such applicants, they say, are not literate enough to hold managerial positions or to absorb the requisite training.

In a recent survey of businesses ranging from aircraft manufacturing to food production, 85 percent of the employers surveyed said they would hire a liberal arts English Major because, "The ability to read and comprehend what one reads, and the ability to translate orally are essential to communication; communication is essential to directing people, and people get the job done."

"Someone who can speak and write good, plain, understandable English is worth more to me than a specialist," said an official of IBM.

Business people stressed the areas in which English majors excel:

• editing and rewriting material that has been prepared by technical personnel 
• using reference materials in preparing well-documented reports 
• analyzing and interpreting, reorganizing and rewriting published and unpublished data 
• using research materials with creativity and originality 
• presenting an argument logically, succinctly, and clearly 
• becoming knowledgeable in areas in which there has been no previous training 
• speaking and writing a foreign language fluently 

Did you know that:

The English major is excellent preparation for law school!

The entrance examinations for law school test reading comprehension, knowledge of basic grammar, mastery of English usage, and the ability to organize ideas and to make editoria1 corrections, as well as general knowledge in the fields of literature, art, music, science, and social science.

Did you know that:

The English major is excellent preparation for medical school!

A recent survey shows that 45 medical schools wanted their students to have a solid background in college literature and communication courses. According to this study, the well-rounded liberal arts major has a considerable advantage when taking medical school entrance examinations. The broader literary background affords the liberal arts major a definite advantage over applicants who have restricted themselves to a limited curriculum, since the examination tests not only quantitative and scientific abilities, but verbal ability and general knowledge (including literature, music, and art) as well. In fact, only 32 hours of science courses are required for admission to most medical schools, while considerable weight is placed on the applicant's complete academic record, and on the results of a personal interview.